That Affair Next Door | Page 5

might lift the heavy
cabinet or whatever it was that lay upon the poor creature before us.
But not being a man, and not judging it wise to irritate the one
representative of that sex then present, I made no remark, but only took
a few steps farther into the room, followed, as it afterwards appeared,
by the scrub-woman.
The Van Burnam parlors are separated by an open arch. It was to the
right of this arch and in the corner opposite the doorway that the dead
woman lay. Using my eyes, now that I was somewhat accustomed to
the semi-darkness enveloping us, I noticed two or three facts which had
hitherto escaped me. One was, that she lay on her back with her feet
pointing towards the hall door, and another, that nowhere in the room,
save in her immediate vicinity, were there to be seen any signs of

struggle or disorder. All was as set and proper as in my own parlor
when it has been undisturbed for any length of time by guests; and
though I could not see far into the rooms beyond, they were to all
appearance in an equally orderly condition.
Meanwhile the cleaner was trying to account for the overturned cabinet.
"Poor dear! poor dear! she must have pulled it over on herself! But
however did she get into the house? And what was she doing in this
great empty place?"
The policeman, to whom these remarks had evidently been addressed,
growled out some unintelligible reply, and in her perplexity the woman
turned towards me.
But what could I say to her? I had my own private knowledge of the
matter, but she was not one to confide in, so I stoically shook my head.
Doubly disappointed, the poor thing shrank back, after looking first at
the policeman and then at me in an odd, appealing way, difficult to
understand. Then her eyes fell again on the dead girl at her feet, and
being nearer now than before, she evidently saw something that startled
her, for she sank on her knees with a little cry and began examining the
girl's skirts.
"What are you looking at there?" growled the policeman. "Get up, can't
you! No one but the Coroner has right to lay hand on anything here."
"I'm doing no harm," the woman protested, in an odd, shaking voice. "I
only wanted to see what the poor thing had on. Some blue stuff, isn't
it?" she asked me.
"Blue serge," I answered; "store-made, but very good; must have come
from Altman's or Stern's."
"I--I'm not used to sights like this," stammered the scrub-woman,
stumbling awkwardly to her feet, and looking as if her few remaining
wits had followed the rest on an endless vacation. "I--I think I shall
have to go home." But she did not move.

"The poor dear's young, isn't she?" she presently insinuated, with an
odd catch in her voice that gave to the question an air of hesitation and
doubt.
"I think she is younger than either you or myself," I deigned to reply.
"Her narrow pointed shoes show she has not reached the years of
discretion."
"Yes, yes, so they do!" ejaculated the cleaner, eagerly--too eagerly for
perfect ingenuousness. "That's why I said 'Poor dear!' and spoke of her
pretty face. I am sorry for young folks when they get into trouble, aint
you? You and me might lie here and no one be much the worse for it,
but a sweet lady like this----"
This was not very flattering to me, but I was prevented from rebuking
her by a prolonged shout from the stoop without, as a rush was made
against the front door, followed by a shrill peal of the bell.
"Man from Headquarters," stolidly announced the policeman. "Open
the door, ma'am; or step back into the further hall if you want me to do
it."
Such rudeness was uncalled for; but considering myself too important a
witness to show feeling, I swallowed my indignation and proceeded
with all my native dignity to the front door.

II.
QUESTIONS.
As I did so, I could catch the murmur of the crowd outside as it seethed
forward at the first intimation of the door being opened; but my
attention was not so distracted by it, loud as it sounded after the quiet
of the shut-up house, that I failed to notice that the door had not been
locked by the gentleman leaving the night before, and that,
consequently, only the night latch was on. With a turn of the knob it
opened, showing me the mob of shouting boys and the forms of two

gentlemen awaiting admittance on the door-step. I frowned at the mob
and smiled on the gentlemen, one of whom was portly and easy-going
in appearance,